Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

Matthew 5:1-12 April 8, 2007
The Beatitudes #10
“For Great is Your Reward
in Heaven!”
Rev. Meagan M. Boozer

EASTER SUNDAY

“Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteous-ness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Way back when, as we prepared to begin the season of Lent on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday (Feb. 18th), we began to look together at these amazing statements of Jesus called The Beatitudes. That morning, 8 weeks ago, I asked these questions:

1. What compelled Jesus to ascend to a high place and take a seat to teach the crowds that day and teach hundreds of millions of people in the days since?

2. What does he want for us?

3. If being blessed is something done to or for us, is there something we can do, or is there nothing we can do to go higher on the mountain with him?

I have learned that there is something I can do:

• I can remember that without Jesus working inside of me, to help me think like him, to help me restrain myself from asserting my own will, to help me keep my tongue in check, to help me see who needs an encouraging word, a comforting word, a corrective word according to God’s Word, without Jesus working inside of me, I simply cannot do it His way.

• I have learned that I must pray before I put my feet on the floor in the morning, because as soon as my feet hit the floor, my mind is already racing with how I am going to structure the things on my list of things to do. I really like this prayer I found as a way to start the day:

"Dear Lord, allow me to see good in the lives of people today. So many find fault, criticize and major on the minors of life. Help me to see the potential you see in others. And speaking of potential, allow me to see my own unique potential for making a positive difference in my world. Jesus, you know me -- you really know me. Show me what could give us great joy while working together in the ways of your choosing. A great need of mine, Lord, is to trust you -- completely. I don't want "I'm trusting God" to be a cute catch phrase I use as a Christian. Give me a trust that causes me to hope in you at all times, brings peace to my soul, and remains my way of life, for all my life. Teach me to recognize your voice in my hurried, everyday world. I know this is not a simple request. Strengthen me from the inside out. Help me to know you, love you, hear your voice, and follow you. I want to finish strong, Lord, way stronger than how I was at the beginning. Protect me, go before me, and strengthen my heart to avoid being sinful and sinfully complacent. Give me a big, long-lasting portion of laughter! Help me to always help others discover you as the delight of their lives. I love you, Lord. Thanks for listening, answering and giving your life for me.
In your name I pray, Amen!"

• I also have learned in a deeper way than ever, that living the way Jesus wants us to live isn’t all that popular and pleasing to some people. In fact, it can really cause some people to treat you unkindly, speak unkindly about you, and speak unkindly to you.

When I started this sermon series, I used Mother Teresa as our example of what a person’s life can look like if they are truly poor in spirit. Listen to these words that were written on a wall in the children’s home she started in Calcutta:

• People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

• If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

• If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

• If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

• What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

• If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

• The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

• Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

• In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

Why should we live this way? Because, Jesus says: Great is Your Reward in Heaven! Whoo-Hoo!!!
So, I’m supposed to be kind to people all the time, honor all people, treat people with respect no matter what, hold my tongue, let people talk evil falsely against me, throw caution to the wind when its my turn to stand up for Jesus, even be willing to lay down my life for love’s sake, and all I get for it is some unseen reward UP THERE?

Here’s the clipboard. I want everyone who’s ready to do all that for an ‘atta boy’ or ‘atta girl’ reward in some spiritual, invisible kingdom please sign your name.

• I mean, after all, your reward might be an MVP trophy for that time you helped that poor woman get all those heavy groceries into her trunk, in the rain, snow, sleet, and hail, with 50 mile per hour winds, when your arm was in that big heavy cast...

• Gee, it could be a really big certificate or degree, sort of like my fancy doctoral degree, for that time you read through the Bible in a Year, or even read the Bible at all…

• Maybe it might be a mink coat as a thank you for all the blankets you gave away for the homeless shelter that time, or that really big check you wrote for the mission team…

• Wow – what if it was a cash reward? Like 1 million dollars? That would be really useful in heaven, wouldn’t it?

Reward: re•ward (noun)
1. something desirable given in return for what somebody has done
2. payment offered for the return of something lost or stolen
3. a benefit obtained as a result of an action taken or a job done

Here’s where the Bible stands on the word reward – and most specifically on this Easter Sunday - our heavenly reward:

1. something desirable given in return for what somebody has done – that somebody is not YOU – that somebody is JESUS for the fact that he took my sins and yours upon his body on that cross and died with them, so that we wouldn’t have to die with them! To say that that is something desirable is a grand understatement! What a reward! And this reward doesn’t just come in handy once we get to heaven – it comes in handy right now because we can live and die in peace that once we take that last breath, we’re home free! Which leads me to the second definition of reward:

2. Payment offered for the return of something lost or stolen – Did you have something lost or stolen? I did, and you did too. Way back when, in the days of the Garden of Eden, we were already home free. We were free from sin. When we gave in to the temptation to trust ourselves instead of trusting God completely, we lost that freedom, we lost our place in paradise, and we lost access to the Tree of Life - and the devil is the one who stole our sinless innocence. Remember, the devil comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. But JESUS’ victory over the dark life, his victory over giving in to temptation, his victory over DEATH so that we could be FREE AGAIN to LIVE NOW AND FOREVER in the PRESENCE of OUR LOVING GOD is the payment he made. Is this any value to you right now on earth? Does it matter to you that Jesus’ spirit, who lives within you purifies you, convicts you, and helps you keep your head above the darkness? Which leads me to the third and final definition of the word reward.

3. a benefit obtained as a result of an action taken or a job done – Jesus’ final words as he died on the cross for us were, “It is finished.” These are words you say when a job is done. Did WE get a benefit from this completed work? Let’s think: Is it a benefit to you and me when someone we love has died, to know they aren’t just dead and gone? Does this give you comfort and hope, now on earth? Is it a benefit to you and me to know that when God looks at us, he sees the righteous robes of Jesus covering us? Does this give you peace, now on earth?

Psalm 103 tells us:
Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Forget not all his benefits. He is our Shepherd. He is our Savior. He is our Teacher. He is our King. He is The Only Shepherd. He is the Only Savior. He is the Teacher of teachers. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

Jesus wills for his disciples to desire the reward in heaven more than we desire the reward of the world.

Jesus wills for us to have our treasure in heaven not on earth.

Jesus wills for your heart to be so set on heaven that to leave this earth is a cause for great rejoicing.
You’ve heard the saying, “That person is so heavenly minded, they are no earthly good.” Listen, our reward may be in heaven, but it is of infinite earthly good!

I thank the Lord for the day he opened my eyes and gave me resurrection hope for this dying world.

I thank the Lord for the day he opened your eyes, too. But maybe, today is the first day you have seen the Truth, and your heart is breaking and pounding at the same time. Let me help you receive Jesus – your great reward. Let us pray:

Dear Father God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.

I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.

You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess that Jesus is LORD with our lips, and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.

Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, heavenly Father, I believe that You raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I thank you that I am saved for all eternity from the darkness of despair.

Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus, that your grace always leads to repentance.

Therefore Lord Jesus, by your Holy Spirit living within me now, transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor, not to myself, but to you alone.

Help me remain faithful to You all the days of my life. Thank you that goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, that one day, I will receive a crown of righteousness, and that I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.

The day of resurrection!
Earth, tell it out abroad;
the passover of gladness,
the passover of God.
From death to life eternal,
from earth unto the sky,
our Christ hath brought us over,
with hymns of victory.

Our hearts be pure from evil,
that we may see aright
the Lord in rays eternal
of resurrection light;
and listening to his accents,
may hear, so calm and plain,
his own "All hail!" and, hearing,
may raise the victor strain.

Now let the heavens be joyful!
Let earth the song begin!
Let the round world keep triumph,
and all that is therein!
Let all things seen and unseen
their notes in gladness blend,
for Christ the Lord hath risen,
our joy that hath no end.

The Day of Resurrection
Text: John of Damascus;
Music: Henry T. Smart, 1813-1879

Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

04-08-2007